I’d ask BigRingVR if they can help you - maybe not, but it’s worth a try.
Other than that - it’s really the best value for money - Rouvy would be your best bet. They’re also not without failures, but less so than Tacx. The only thing I would disable, is the AR integration, as that sucks as much as Zwift, albeit that you get real scenery, instead of a cartoon world.
Rouvy is way more active with challenges and group rides, but Tacx has (far) superior videos.
I think for both, you’re limited to a tablet? Not that great, but if you don’t have a Windows or Mac machine, that’s it. You can still hook up your tablet to a TV, but most of the time, you get the same screen as on your table (black areas l/r and/or t/b), just bigger.
BTW, VeloReality might be another alternative, but I think that’s completely Windows only (Mac bootcamp or Parallels aside)…
Done. They can’t help me, they can’t invest their time and money only for a couple of Linux users. I can’t even use the last Linux version I had, because it does check on startup if there is a new version, and as mine is obsolete, it refuses to continue.
Well, I reinstalled Windows 10 for dual boot, only to play with Sufferfest… and I formatted that partition afterward, I don’t want to rely on MS anymore. I’m fine with Linux.
I will try to use Xert only: with my phone I can always play some mind games and listen to Youtube videos (and even watch them, overlaying on Xert app - in a very small windows - thanks to Vanced Youtube :-D); I could even test that on my 10’ tablet to have a larger video on top of Xert.
Yeah, they are a small (startup) company and cannot really afford a lot of development. They at least have a Mac version - I’m not using that, although I’m an Apple user, but for my pain cave, I have a pimped up Windows machine, which runs all of them just fine.
If that ever gives in, but that’s not going to be soon, I suppose, I’ll go for another Mac. Microsoft (Windows) is a mess, but it is what is used most…
I have Parallels on my iMac and run Windows and Linux on that too. Some things I need to do, I have been doing for so long with program X that has no Mac equivalent, that I switch to either.
Egads, let the tinkering begin! Have fun rooting the Karoo 2.
My Android phones have all worked fine with an ANT+ dongle on all OS versions.
Currently I am testing a Palm with BLE and XM 3.5.2.0 and having no issues other than the dance steps I’ve learned to perform when pairing new sensor combos.
For kicks I just tried ANT+ on the Palm (Oreo 8.1) and ran today’s workout. Ran fine during a warm-up with BLE disabled and ANT+ stick to OTG/USB-C stub (came with the Pixel). Then I enabled BLE, selected a workout, and mixed things up with cadence on BLE and the rest on ANT+ (trainer, power, HR). Workout ran fine though the USB stick definitely drains more juice on the Palm.
Overall I am not having issues running BLE or ANT+ on XM 3.5.2.0. I’ll stick with BLE. YMMV
Perhaps phone choice is a mitigating factor or too much tinkering leads to getting tinked. (been there, done that)
If you like real world videos try Fulgaz, they have really stepped it up with the new version 4 coming out in a few weeks. Wish they or anyone would work with Xert to allow syncing of workouts, but it isn’t too hard to import them…
I’ve tried/used Fulgaz in the past, but I really don’t like on bike footage. There’s another service that has a lot of that, but I can’t remember which one…
It’s mainly because of the swaying of the camera and the sight of sometimes many riders in front of you.
They have videos without that, but Tacx, VeloReality and BigRingVR offer (almost) only those. I think Tacx has a few ‘Ride with…’.
Best value for money (imho): BigRingVR, followed by Rouvy.
Yeah, BigRingVR is great, good video quality and you can do all of your workouts on almost any road profile, by adjusting the min/max slope of your rides. When I had intense workouts, I used to set the min. to 0% (no downhill, because to maintain a high power on a downhill, it’s almost impossible - unless you can spin at 150+ rpm :-D), and max to 4-5%, so I had some resistance to push those watts, but low enough to be able to do recovery intervals.
Oh, I guess I will probably reinstall Windows just to have BigRingVR
@zenturtle –
The Verizon model lists as PVG100 with Oreo 8.1.
What model number and OS version is listed for yours under Settings, System, About?
I haven’t been able to confirm whether the unlocked Palm works with later OS versions or not.
There is no thread at XDAdevelopers for the unlocked Palm.
It appears there’s no difference between the “locked” Verizon companion model and the unlocked model other than what’s pre-loaded and the SIM tray.
The Verizon companion phone has a SIM tray with a blocked hole to prevent normal removal. You have to fashion a removal tool with a staple (clip one side down to a nub) so you pull out the SIM tray. Then you can insert whatever SIM card you want – or none and use the device with Wi-Fi only.
You’ll need to install the ANT USB Service from the Play Store and add your ANT+ stick.
I used a Suunto Movestick with OTG/USB-C adapter that came with my Pixel phone.
The Palm has a Snapdragon processor (Qualcomm® 435 processor, Octa-core CPU) but lacks the ANT+ chip.
Not sure what the Karoo 2 uses but description is Quad core 1.1Ghz, CPU with 2GB of RAM.
Hammerhead of course includes the ANT+ chip plus two BT chips (one for Android and the other for iOS apparently).
Palm missed the mark by not including the ANT+ chip but BLE is adequate for most users, especially since the majority of new sensor hardware includes BLE or in some cases is only BLE.
ANT+ still reigns for those who want one-to-many connections but BLE has been reliable for me.
Your Karoo 2 will unfortunately be delayed in its final delivery to your door. Please allow us to shed some light on the reason behind this.
Like you, our team has been working in a totally new world of remote operations. While we have successfully navigated our way through international supply chain challenges and restrictions to team movement over the course of this year, this has still posed a major hurdle. Remote exchanges between our factory and testing facilities in the last few weeks have slowed our progress as we launch this innovative product under the highest quality standards.
For this reason we are forced to adjust our shipping timeline, and ultimately delay your order. At the time of pre-order, your order was scheduled to ship in late October. We now expect to ship the bulk of these orders in late November. Some orders are projected to ship a few weeks earlier than this, and some a few weeks later, as we prioritize delivery by order date. We have been working tirelessly to avoid this scenario and are sad to have to share this news.
If the additional weeks of waiting are too much, will refund your pre-order deposit at any time, and would love to welcome you back as a customer in the future. To ensure your full satisfaction, we also offer a 45 day refund policy after your unit is received. We will keep you informed as we ramp production in the weeks ahead and your shipment draws near. If you have any further questions please reply to this email, and our team will get back to you.
Thank you for your patience and your support. Our mission remains to bring you the most advanced head unit on the market, and to help you unlock your full athletic potential.
I pre-ordered the day they opened it, I think August 27 or something. You must have jumped on a bit later.
Still, I have told them that we all have to cope with ‘the current situation’ and that if you decide to start taking pre-orders by the end of August, only to delay shipping as of mid-October, you haven’t been paying attention much.
Same for me. I’m fine with it, as I don’t know what I would do of it in that period of training indoors. Moreover, it seems that we will be locked down again, soon… (by the 26th of October ?)
(been there, done that)
